What an awesome time today on our boat trip to Isla San Jorge (Bird Island). We started out around 8-830 this morning to catch low tide with Jim, our dive guide and Jose Luis, el capitan. Many did well with the goal not to get sea sick on the undulating and bumpy ride.
As we started to approach the site, there were several very large white rocky peaks coming out of the water. Jim leaned in to tell me that though the Sea of Cortez is famous for them, they were not a mirage. On the east side of the islands, we were able to see many birds flapping their big wings and sea lions barking and playing. After a brief note on the local tide and current fluxes, and the mechanics of dive gear, it was time to get our feet (and lives) wet. The prospects of swimming with the sea lions had been all too anticipated, and they seemed very curious to meet us as well.
With several of us snorkeling near the surface and some "scubies" diving below the sea lions remained, swimming all around and throughout the group trying to get a closer look. I remember at one point floating very still while one female approached my face with hers, closer and closer. She came about a foot in front of me and it was there where we made true eye contact. As quickly as she became clear to me was as quickly as she had disappeared into the turbid deep. This must be the struggle many field biologists experience, we all just want that few more seconds to look....
Scubies and snorkelers up, we boated around the cove to another site for exploring. This time the bottom was deeper and the current faster. 45 more minutes of double fun, who knows what the scubies observed and recovered. All I know is that I left a piece of my heart at that island today, and already am I ready to retrieve it.
I suspect that this experience is what scuba is all about, thanks to today I understand just a bit more of all of that dive talkin.
Lia
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